CEO of Adura, Neil McCulloch. Photo: ADURA

The UK North Sea oil and gas sector ushers in a major milestone. Adura has successfully completed full construction of the Jackdaw Gas Field. Pending final development approval, the field is expected to come online around October in winter 2026, delivering natural gas to mainland UK and bolstering national energy security.

The Jackdaw Gas and Condensate Field is situated in the central UK Continental Shelf of the North Sea, approximately 250 kilometres (150 miles) east of Aberdeen, with a water depth of around 78 metres. Its coordinates are roughly 56.901°N, 2.3808°W, covering Blocks 30/02a, 30/02d and 30/03a.

The project adopts a normally unmanned Wellhead Platform (WHP) design. It is connected to the adjacent Shearwater Hub via a 31-kilometre subsea pipeline network, after which hydrocarbons are transported to the St Fergus Terminal in Scotland for processing before feeding directly into the UK national gas grid.

This cost-effective tie-back model significantly cuts capital expenditure and carbon emissions, standing as an exemplary case of reutilising existing mature infrastructure in the North Sea.

The field is projected to reach a peak production of approximately 40,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, capable of meeting heating demand for around 1.4 million UK households. It will account for roughly 6% of the UK’s future North Sea gas output, delivering solid support for Britain’s energy security and winter gas supply assurance.

The Jackdaw Gas Field is currently owned and operated by Adura Operations Limited / UK North Sea Limited.

Adura is a 50:50 joint venture officially established by Shell and Equinor in December 2025, integrating premium North Sea assets of both energy giants and demonstrating their firm confidence in the long-term development of the UK North Sea.

Aker Solutions was awarded the full EPCI (Engineering, Procurement, Construction, Installation) contract, covering the steel jacket and topside modules.

The platform was constructed at Verdal Shipyard in Norway.

The steel jacket was successfully installed in August 2023, followed by the completion of topside module installation in October 2025, with all facilities now fully positioned on-site.

Aker Solutions: Completed FEED study in June 2019

Rosetti Marino Group (Italy): Delivered WHP FEED design in July 2019

TechnipFMC undertook the full subsea EPCI scope, including the laying of around 31 kilometres of pipelines, risers, spoolpieces, subsea structures and subsea umbilicals.

The contract was awarded to Shell in September 2022 and later transferred to Adura. All pipelines were successfully laid in July 2024 using the reel-lay installation method.

Design Type: Pipe-in-Pipe (PiP) Double Containment System

Inner Flowline/Liner: CRA Corrosion Resistant Alloy Lined Pipe

Outer Carrier Pipe: High-Strength Carbon Steel Pipe

Annulus: Filled with high-performance thermal insulation materials, custom-engineered for uHPHT (Ultra-High Pressure High Temperature) subsea environments

Dimensional Specifications

Nominal Bore (Inner Diameter): 12 inches

Maximum Outer Diameter: Approximately 18 inches

Installation & Protection Design

Installation Method: Trenched and Buried

External Coating: 3LPP (Three-Layer Polypropylene) anti-corrosion and thermal insulation coating

Equipped with Overpressure Protection System (OPPS)

Outer Carrier Pipe (Structural Pipe)

Manufacturing Process: High Frequency Welded (HFW) Steel Pipe

Supplier: Corinth Pipeworks (CPW), supplying the full 31 km of HFW line pipe

Standard: API 5L

Steel Grade: API 5L X65 or X70 PSL2

Performance Features: Delivers structural integrity and pressure containment with excellent toughness and resistance to sulfide stress corrosion cracking

Inner CRA Liner

Material: Corrosion Resistant Alloy (CRA)

Typical Alloy Grade: Alloy 825 (UNS N08825) / Alloy 625 (UNS N06625)

Service Environment: Optimised for corrosive media with ~4.2% CO₂ and 30 ppmv H₂S

Liner Thickness: 3–5 mm

Core Function: Directly contacts production fluids to provide superior resistance to CO₂ and H₂S corrosion

Other Key Components

Subsea umbilicals, risers and spoolpieces are all fully engineered, integrated and installed by TechnipFMC.

This state-of-the-art pipeline system enables safe and efficient transportation of multiphase fluids, representing the highest level of subsea engineering technology in the North Sea.

All construction works of the Jackdaw project have been fully completed, with the platform, subsea pipelines and well drilling all ready for commissioning. The Adura team is actively collaborating with regulatory authorities to advance final permit approvals, striving for earliest first gas delivery to support UK winter energy supply.

As a benchmark low-emission and high-efficiency North Sea development project, Jackdaw will not only boost domestic UK gas supply and reduce import reliance, but also reflect the social responsibility and commitment of Shell, Equinor and Adura amid the energy transition era. The industry looks forward to Jackdaw’s early commissioning to bring warmth and stable energy supply to households across the United Kingdom.